However, at the the Television Critics Association (TCA) winter press tour, Cumberbatch said: "It's great publicity, isn't it? I think there's an awful lot of support for the way that we did it and the taste that we did it with. And if it creates more interest in the program, thank you very much for that."

Though the Adler character was intended to be naked, clever editing was used to avoid showing any on-screen nudity.

"It's not supposed to be a source of stimulation for the audience," argued Cumberbatch. "It's supposed to throw [Holmes'] radar off, which is exactly what it does."